Farewell, Minato Namikaze

The closer they got to Konoha's camp, the colder Kato Osamu's aura became. The three children beside him could clearly sense it, but they didn't know why, so they could only continue their journey in silence as usual.

Dusk Forest – a vast forest on the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rivers, starting from the Land of Rivers and extending deep into the Land of Land of Fire. It is the largest jungle in the southwest of the Land of Fire, and also the most difficult place to defend.

With the cover of the jungle, agile ninjas skilled in stealth are difficult to catch. If it weren't for the presence of a large number of sensory ninjas, Konoha would have a hard time defending this jungle. And the largest mountain in this jungle is Kikyo Mountain.

It is also the location of Konoha's largest fortress near its southwestern border, serving as the main base for the entire garrisoned ninja.

Even in peacetime, this place is a gathering place for countless sensory ninjas and clan ninjas, especially those from the Hyuga Clan, Inuzuka Clan, and Aburame Clan.

At this time, due to the invasion of the Sand Shinobi Minato Namikaze, Tsunade, Fugaku Uchiha, were stationed here, making it the last line of defense on the entire battlefield.

When Kato Osamu's squad arrived at the Dusk Forest, it was already getting late. The jungle at night was full of dangers, so the four of them camped at the edge of the jungle, waiting to rejoin the main force the next day.

Night fell, the moon shone brightly, and the jungle resembled a dark and silent graveyard, whistling in the night wind.

In the simple camp built with Earth Release techniques, Iruka was fast asleep, while Itachi Uchiha's figure was shrouded in darkness, yet his eyes were bright, showing no signs of sleepiness. He vaguely sensed something unusual, but had no further clues.

"That's... Teacher Xu?"

Suddenly, a figure flashed before his eyes and silently headed towards the jungle, causing confusion to appear in Itachi Uchiha's eyes.

After thinking for a moment, he glanced at Iruka, who was fast asleep, but did not disturb him. He slowly got up and followed him, but then seemed to remember something. His body split in two, leaving behind a Shadow Clone, which quietly sat by the campfire outside the camp.

Itachi Uchiha's figure disappeared, and the camp fell silent, with only the crackling of the campfire remaining...

But at that moment, Uzuki Yugao suddenly opened her eyes, looking at Itachi's Shadow Clone by the campfire, but her gaze fell into the dark depths of the forest.

"Minato Namikaze, it's been a long time..."

Kato Osamu's figure slowly emerged from the depths of the forest, her gaze fixed intently on the blond man before her.

Minato Namikaze greeted him with a smile, though his eyes still held some doubt.

"Xu, you've finally arrived..."

After saying that, he frowned slightly, chuckled softly, and continued, "You should call me Senior Brother Minato Namikaze..."

"I heard you killed the Fourth Mizukage! Directly leading to the end of the battle in the Land of Water! Osamu, you're really reliable!"

Hearing Minato Namikaze's voice, Kato Osamu smiled slightly but remained silent.

"You had a summoned beast deliver a message to me, and instructed me to come here secretly by myself. Did you discover traces of the enemy?"

Upon hearing this, Kato Osamu couldn't help but chuckle. He was at a loss for words. If Minato Namikaze was a fool, then it wouldn't be surprising if he said such a thing, but he was a very clever guy.

Is it that he was unwilling to assume malicious intent towards others, or that he was overconfident?

"Minato Namikaze... are you done talking?"

Kato Osamu's voice turned cold, a murderous glint appearing in his eyes. He stared directly into Minato Namikaze's eyes, his voice grim.

"Couldn't we find you a place to be buried right here?"

"The scenery here is quite nice. Besides, isn't guarding the border for the Land of Fire what you've always been doing? So, dying here wouldn't be so bad..."

"Xu, stop joking..."

Minato Namikaze's smile faded slightly, and a hint of apprehension appeared in his eyes. He hadn't seen Kato Osamu in a long time, and given his feat of killing the Mizukage, he dared not be complacent.

"Haha, Minato Namikaze, you're just too trusting!"

With a wave of his hand, Kato Osamu conjured countless black runes that gradually coalesced into massive chains that hurtled towards Minato Namikaze.

"The Adamantine Sealing Chains! No, it's just very similar to the Adamantine Sealing Chains..."

"Has the Sealing Jutsu been mastered to this level?"

Minato Namikaze dodged in a flash, golden light leaping through the air, rendering Kato Osamu's attack completely ineffective.

"Xu, what exactly do you want to do!"

Minato Namikaze stopped in his tracks. He vaguely sensed that there wasn't much killing intent within the runic chains...

"The Flying Thunder God is really useful..."

Kato Osamu did not launch another attack, but simply stared at Minato Namikaze in silence, a smile playing on his lips.

"It's nothing, just inviting you to watch a good show..."

"As a good spectator, you'd better not scare the 'actors' who are about to arrive..."

After saying that, he ignored Minato Namikaze and quietly leaned against the big tree. Minato Namikaze frowned, gave Kato Osamu a deep look, and then disappeared from the field, hiding in the nearby jungle.

"Two have come..." Kato Osamu frowned slightly. He sensed the two little ones getting closer and closer. He wasn't surprised that Itachi could detect his movements, but Yugao seemed a little smarter than she appeared...

Not only him, Minato Namikaze also sensed it. He frowned slightly, glanced at Kato Osamu's expression, and seemed to think it was an accident as well. He was curious to see what Kato Osamu would do, but all he saw was him take out two Shuriken from his weapon pouch.

Minato Namikaze frowned deeply, seemingly finding it increasingly difficult to understand his former subordinate.

With the Flying Thunder God activated, Itachi Uchiha and Uzuki Yugao were brought back without any resistance. With a light tap of his hand, the two were rendered motionless, their eyes still rolling, and the fear in their eyes gradually fading as they saw Minato Namikaze.

"Shh..."

Minato Namikaze smiled gently at the two, patted their heads, and then released them. A rune flashed in his hand, and the aura emanating from the two completely disappeared.

Uzuki Yugao's eyes were full of confusion, but she obeyed Minato Namikaze's command and quietly leaned against the bushes.

However, when she looked at Itachi Uchiha, she followed his gaze and saw Kato Osamu in the distance. Her eyes lit up slightly, and she exchanged a glance with Itachi Uchiha before slowly relaxing.

A deep black curtain descended from the sky, and the jagged black branches rustled and clustered, like an abyss in the darkness, peering into the secrets of the human world.

Kato Osamu didn't have to wait long. As they approached the edge of the jungle, he sensed the presence of the Root ninjas. Nonō wouldn't lie to him; these people had come for him.

Hearing the commotion, they pounced like hunting dogs that had caught the scent of their prey. As for his whereabouts, Konoha had no secrets from Root.

"Target spotted!"

The first Root ninja to arrive gave him a deep look before letting out a loud shout, and the jungle seemed to boil instantly as countless shadowy figures hidden in the jungle began to rapidly converge on Kato Osamu.

"This is... Root ninja!"

A flash of anger crossed Minato Namikaze's eyes as he hid behind the tree. He was probably aware of the conflict between Kato Osamu and Danzo, but seeing the Root so brazenly ambushing their own ninja still enraged him.

He remained still, not only because Kato Osamu wanted him to be a quiet spectator, but also because of his confidence in his own strength. Even if the Root ninjas set up a barrier, he could still take Kato Osamu away from here.

"They actually managed to evade detection..."

"It can even evade my senses..."

What puzzled Minato Namikaze was that, as one of the commanders of the Konoha Sand Shinobi Battlefield, he had no information whatsoever about the existence of Root ninjas in the Dusk Forest, and he hadn't detected any trace of them along the way.

"Is it Sealing Jutsu that conceals one's aura? Or something else?"

While Minato Namikaze was deep in thought, more and more Root ninjas gathered around. Kato Osamu watched quietly, without making a move, until a familiar figure appeared in his line of sight.

"Danzo dispatched almost Root Root's Jonin, a total of fifty people, some of whom are no less powerful than me, namely..."

Akihamaru's gaze was sharp, just like the other Root ninjas beside him, his eyes filled with killing intent. However, in his mind, he was constantly communicating with Kato Osamu, marking out the key Jonin needed to be 'eliminated' one by one in Kato Osamu's mind.

Although the number differed slightly from Nonō had said, it wasn't too unexpected for Kato Osamu.

A cruel smile slowly appeared on his face.

If Nonō's intelligence revealed the Root's ambush, then Akihamaru's existence was the catalyst for his plan to turn the tables and leave Konoha, for him now, was nothing short of a cage.

Besides, isn't the fact that master and disciple both defected a legendary tale in the Shinobi World?

"Danzo really values me..."

Kato Osamu's gaze was cold and stern, a blue glint flashing in his eyes. His voice boomed through the forest like a thunderclap.

"Oh? Aren't these my dear Root colleagues?"

"What? So many people have come to welcome me?"

Among the members of the Root Clan, a man wearing a bluish-purple mask slowly stepped out, seemingly the highest-ranking person among them.

"No! Hand over the Cursed Seal to break the Flying Thunder God Technique! And I might leave you a whole corpse!"

"So that's how it is. You're already planning to take action against Minato Namikaze? It seems so many of you aren't concerned about me, but rather about Minato Namikaze..."

When the leader of Root revealed the Cursed Seal to break the Flying Thunder God Technique, a monstrous wave surged within Minato Namikaze's heart.

No one understood the power of the Flying Thunder God Flying Thunder God better than him. He had never imagined that anyone could break it. But now, Danzo's Root forces were coming with overwhelming force, and their emphasis on it was certainly not unfounded. Could it be that Kato Osamu had truly mastered the method to break the Flying Thunder God Technique?

Half of his strength can be attributed to the Flying Thunder God Technique, which allows him to Flying Thunder God. Without it, he would be at most an Elite Jonin, still quite a distance from Kage Level.

Even someone as composed as Minato Namikaze, who had commanded countless battles, couldn't help but feel a little flustered at this moment.

Not only Minato Namikaze, but also Yugao and Itachi Uchiha were utterly shocked. They had never heard of such a secret before, and their familiar Konoha felt increasingly alienated.

"Danzo didn't come? What a coward..."

"If he wants it, he should come and get it himself. You guys are far from capable..."

With a sneer, Kato Osamu couldn't help but smile. He couldn't help but feel happy thinking about Minato Namikaze's current mood.

"Arrogant!"

"How dare you!"

Damn it!

As if he had touched a raw nerve with these Root ninjas, they fell silent, their eyes filled with a desire to tear him apart.

"Hmph, sharp-tongued and quick-witted. Leave your head, and the rest is yours to do as you please!"

"Kill!"

As soon as he finished speaking, countless ninjas pounced on Kato Osamu...